


Take the Knife and Twist It

by NoWindows



Series: Parallel Processing [3]
Category: Just Shapes & Beats (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, King Tristan, anyway just a thought i've been having about an au, just because 'monarch tristan' doesn't roll off the tongue, might continue might not, published as a rough draft because i'm a tool, why am i using king when everyone uses they/them pronouns?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-15
Updated: 2019-11-15
Packaged: 2021-01-31 09:28:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21443983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoWindows/pseuds/NoWindows
Summary: "I'm better than that."
Series: Parallel Processing [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1554061
Comments: 6
Kudos: 27





	Take the Knife and Twist It

It was hard for Tristan not to end up back here every day, sitting beneath the great tree, back resting on the trunk as they idly ran their hand through the dirt. What could they say? Paranoia was a powerful thing, and who knew what could happen if the tree was out of their sight for even a moment?

Their mind would always drift through painful memories. Eddie, ripped into pieces, each of which were locked away and suspended in mid-air. Paula, isolated in the middle of the creepy factory, water gushing from the pipes to leave them trapped and forced to stay in the air to the point of utter exhaustion. All of those innocent people, turned against everything they once stood for, with only shadows at best of their former selves still in there. 

And Kat. They didn’t even like to think about poor Kat and what _ they _had to go through. In the silence here, the only noise being an occasional distant bird chip, they could almost hear their voice calling out to them, strained and warped-

_ “G-get away… please...! No matter what happens, you’ll always be close to-” _

Moving on.

That grey plant that Kat had insisted upon Tristan treating with kindness despite everything… Every time they looked at them, they could only see the monster that hurt everyone. 

Including their friends.

And them themself, they supposed. Dying several dozen times, one of which was almost for real, sucked too.

Mindlessly, they reached up and plucked a leaf-like fragment off of the tree- though they didn’t know why they did it, they were sure it wouldn’t mind, considering all they’d done for it.

It was one of these that had turned Grey into the beast once known as Nihil. The beast that had ruined everything. 

It made them feel so weak. So many people had suffered at Nihil's hands, including their closest friends. They could have done something if they’d had _ anything _ on their side other than sheer stubbornness. If they had been stronger.

… If they were _ stronger… _

Their gaze fixed itself on the triangle in their hand. Sure, Nihil freaked out and became a cruel monster on its power, but… They were different. They weren’t weak like that. They had willpower strong enough to reverse death itself. If they were to, maybe, do what they did, they’d surely be just fine.

After all, though they didn’t remember what happened after their resurrection that well, and Kat was dodgy about it, they knew it had resulted in only Nihil being destroyed, and nobody else had been hurt. See? There was precedent. 

Abruptly, they stood up, their mind made.

They’d sworn to protect the ones they held dear. No matter the cost.

They released the triangle into the air, allowing it to float above their head, and took a deep breath. They weren’t afraid. They were better than Nihil was. They’d keep their wits about them.

Right?


End file.
